Air-cushion and air-compressor for automobiles and other vehicles.



No. 887,505. PATENTED MAY 12, 1908. W. H. NELSON 61: L. W. GALLOWAY. AIRCUSHION AND AIR COMPRESSOR FOR AUTOMOBILES AND OTHER VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1907.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WESLEY H. NELSON AND LEE W. GALLOWAY, OF NORWOOD, COLORADO.

AIR-CUSHION- AND AIR-COMPRESSOR FOR AUTOMOBILES AND OTHER VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1908.

Application filed Kay 27, 1907. Serial lib- 375,950-

and LEE W. GALLowAY, citizens of the United States, residing at Norwood,in the county of San Miguel and State. of Colorado, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Air-Cushions and Air-Com pressorsfor Automobiles and other Vehicles; and we do declare the followin to bea full, clear, and exact description of t e invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same. v

Our invention relates to improvements in automobiles and other vehicles,particularly with reference to the provision of air compressing devices0 erated by the vibration of the vehicle and t e vertical movements ofthe body-thereof to compress air and form air cushions, auxiliary to.the usuals rings, to

prevent shocks, enable the vehic e to ride easlly and smoothl andfurnish compressed air which is stored 1n a suitable reservoir and ma beused for any appropriate purpose, suc 1 as for cooling the englnecylinder or c linders, inflating the tires, and coolin t e crank-cases,as hereinafter described an claimed.

The accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic transverse sectional view ofan automobile vehicle provided with air cushions and air compressingapparatus embodying.

our invention. 7

In accordance with our invention, we provide air compressing deviceswhich also act as air cushions between the axle a and the body I) of anautomobile or other vehicle, in

' addition to the usual springs c. The said air suitable construction.

compressing and air cuslnon devices may, within the scope of ourinvention be of any For the purposes of this specification, we show thesame at 1 as double-actin airpumps, e' ch comprising a cylinder 2 b0 tedto the axlec and a plunger 3 o crating in the cylinder and connected tot ebody 1)., Normally, the plunger of each air compressor is aboutmidwaybetween the upper and lower ends thereof. Each end of eachcylinder 2 is provided with a valve air inlet 0 ening 5, and is alsoprovided with a valve discharge opening 6, so that at each stroke of theplun er in either direction caused by the vertical movement of the bodyset up by the motion of' the vehicle, or the vibration produced by theengine or en nes, air will be drawn into one end of the cy nder andforced from the other end thereof. We also provide a compressed air tankor reservoir, indicated diagrammatically at 7, which is carried b thebody and is connected by a.

pipe 8-to t e discharge openin s 6 of the air compressin cylindersflthesai pipe includ-' ing .a .flexi 1e section 9 and branches 10, which leadto the said openings 6. It will be understood that continued action ofthe air compressing devices causes the cylinders and the tank 7 tobecome charged with compressed air, which acts with equal force aboveand below the plungers in the cylinders and forms air cushions above andbelow said plungers, which serve to cushion the vertical movement of thebodyof the vehicle, relieve the same of shock and cause the vehicle torun smoothly and easily and reatl promotethe comfort of the occu antsthereo The tank 7 is provided wit a discharge pipe 11 and with apressure-regulating valve 12 of any suitable construction, which maybeset so as' to predetermine the pressure in the air compressing pumpsand cushions and.

in the tank 7, and so as to maintain any .desired degree of pressuretherein. The air thus stored and compressed in the tank 7 ma be used forany purpose, such as for 000 ing the engine cylinder or cylinders, iniiating the tires and cooling the crankcaslugs.

For the purposes of this specification, the tank is shown-as providedwith a cook 13, to which a ipe 14 maybe attached for use in inflatingtiie tires and the ipe 11 is shown as leading to a coil 15, whiclisurrounds the engine cylinder and is rovided on the side next thecylinder wit1 perforations which cause said coil to discharge compressedair against the cylinderafter the air has been compressed in the tank tothe required degree and to cool such cylinder. It will be understoodthat by the provision of the air pressure-regulating valve, thecompressed air will only be available for use after it has t e tank.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the inventionwill be readily understood without requiring a more extended exlanation.

Various changes in the orm, roportion, and the minor detailsofconstruction may be resorted to Without departing from the principleor sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, as defined bythe appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters-Patent, is, r

1. A vehicle having an air compressing aparatus comprising a plurality.of double-act ing air pumps mounted upon the wheel-axle and having therods of their pistons connected to the bottom of the vehicle, an airreservoir fixed to said vehicle-bottom, an arrangement of ipes havingcommunication with the cylinders of said pumps opening above and belowthe pistons of said pumps,-and

senses means delivering air pressure from said arrangement of pipes tosaid air-reservoir.

2. A vehicle having an air oompressingapparatus comprising a pluralityofdouble-acting air-pumps mountedupon the wheel-axle.

and having the rods of their pistons connected to the bottom of thevehicle, an airreservoir fixed to said vehicle-bottom, an arrangement ofpipes having communication with the cylinders of said pumps openingaboveand below the pistons of said pumps, and a pipe-coil havingconnection with said air-reservoir for utilizing the air-pressurethereof.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

WESLEY H.-NELSON. LEE W. GALLOWAY.

Witnesses:

JAMEs W. S. CRoss, K. B. NoRTHUP,

